This was the last movie review Roger Ebert filed.by Roger Ebert
Released less than two years after his "The Tree of Life," an epic that began with the dinosaurs and peered into an uncertain future, Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder" is a film that contains only a handful of important characters and a few crucial moments in their lives. Although it uses dialogue, it's dreamy and half-heard, and essentially this could be a silent film — silent, except for its mostly melancholy music.

by Richard Roeper
We begin the movie by following a tattoo-spangled man as he makes his way through a carnival crowd, arriving in a tent containing a few hundred cheering fans and a globe-shaped metal cage. This audacious, extended tracking shot will be familiar to fans of Martin Scorsese (and before that, Orson Welles), and it immediately tells us we are about to experience of film of considerable ambition. You don't even try to make a play like that unless you have confidence in your creative arsenal.

by Richard Roeper
For some 30 years now, small clusters of movie teenagers have made the journey to various cabins in various woods. The return ratio for such trips is one surviving, bloodied, traumatized, hospitalized teenager for every 10 dead friends left behind. And the ratio of entertaining, original movies about attractive young people and the hideous monsters that stalk them is about the same. For every clever remake or freshly twisted spin, there are innumerable gore fests with nothing original to say.

by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
"Trance", Danny Boyle's new thriller, is slick, silly, and frequently very entertaining. Its vibe is twisty and pulpy. Its style is candy-colored visual escapism — every shot hyped up for maximum pop. Viewers who get hung up on story logic — or prefer movies that feature at least one sympathetic character — will spend much of "Trance"'s 101 minutes gritting their teeth.

"Upstream Color" (NR, 96 minutes). 'Upstream Color," Shane Carruth's follow-up to "Primer," is every bit as good as its predecessor. The protagonists, a young couple played by Carruth and Amy Seimetz, are connected by a singular, mysterious experience. The experience in question, a strange form of hypnosis caused by body-snatching maggots, leaves them alienated from everyone around them. Being consistently thrown off-balance by a narrative that doesn't even ultimately reveal what happens during its many elisions can be frustrating. But the best thing about 'Upstream Color' is seeing that Carruth is still capable of being intelligently suggestive without being obtuse or frustratingly vague." Three and a half stars

by Jim Emerson
What is "Room 237" really about? On the surface, Rodney Ascher's documentary exhibits the theories a few obsessive fans have put forward to reveal what they think Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is really about. According to them, Kubrick stashed "hidden meanings" in the vacancies, hallways, ballrooms, bathrooms, walk-in storage areas and hedge-mazes of the Overlook Hotel in his 1980 horror film.

by Nell Minow
Back in 1993, what was astonishing in "Jurassic Park" were the special effects that seemed to bring dinosaurs back to life. Two decades later, rediscovering Steven Spielberg's mastery of cinematic storytelling is the best reason to go see it again.

by Simon Abrams
"Simon Killer," a maddeningly short-sighted character study about a disturbed young American in Paris, is consistently unsettling, but not always for the right reasons. Writer-director Antonio Campos ("Afterschool") takes great pains to establish his antihero protagonist, Simon (Brady Corbet), as a voyeur with a very limited field of vision. The film's rocky first half hour establishes Simon as a socially awkward, self-involved character with a myopic worldview.

by Richard Roeper
Seeing as how "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is a live-action cartoon, I wish we could have seen thought balloons above the heads of Channing Tatum, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis, among others, as they filmed this ridiculous and overblown debacle.

"The Host" (PG-13). Based on a new novel by Stephane Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, about a time in the not-distant future when human minds have been colonized by an alien race called "souls." Stephane Meyer stars as a human whose original mind has somehow survived and co-occupies the space with a soul mind; their converesations can be intriguing ("No Melanie! Wrong! No! He's from another planet!"). With William Hurt, Diane Kruehe, Grancis Fisher and okeem Wodbnine. Two and a half stars

"Tyler Perry's Temptation" (PG-13. 111 minutes). Tyler Perry's drama of a young woman tempted to stray from her safe marriage by a rich and handsome stranger is actually funnier than most straightforward comedies. One star.

by Simon Abrams
American filmmaker Derek Cianfrance takes on too much at all at once in "The Place Beyond the Pines," an over-stuffed, hyper-pulpy, and mostly trite trifurcated drama about family, crime, and moral ambiguity. Cianfrance's film, his follow-up to the similarly lop-sided, but otherwise superior "Blue Valentine," follows four men: a daredevil motorcyclist who becomes a bank robber, a mealy-mouthed smalltown cop who's not the hero his peers think he is, and their respective sons.

"Starbuck" (Rated R, 108 minutes). Starbuck is one of those high-concept yet formulaic, sitcom-like comedies that gets by on charm and speed. It is manipulative and ingratiating but totally worth your time if you manage to pass one crucial test: Does French-Canadian actor Patrick Huard's smile make you happy? For me, it does. Mash up Francois Truffaut, Daniel Auteuil and Judd Nelson, and you get Huard's homely/handsome/comical face. It's those kind Truffaut eyes, radiating warmth and passionate concern, that sell this movie's humanist spirit, despite its lack of bite or great surprises. Two and a half stars

by Nell Minow
What if the Supremes had been born Down Under? A very conventional story of a '60s Australian girl group gains extra power from its context and setting in this fact-based story set to the beat of Motown soul.

"From Up on Poppy Hill" (PG, 91 minutes). This was a day I didn't see coming. The new film from Japan's Studio Ghibli is a disappointment. Gore Miyazaki's first collaboration with his father centers on two likable and perfectly straightforward college students, who so nothing very extraordinary and are in a romance that remains platonic. The story involves a campaign to rescue the Latin Quarter, center of student amitosis and bohemian life, from razing to make room for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Some romantic suspense, a few ploy twists, mostly weak tea. Two and a half stars.

by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
"Wrong" is a surreal shaggy dog story about a loser who wakes up one morning to find that his beloved pooch has disappeared. Composed of skit-like scenes and populated by gimmicky characters, the movie is flimsy, glib, and occasionally pretty funny.

by Richard Roeper
Just about everyone in "Gimme the Loot" seems to be yelling, even when they're just talking.
Maybe that's because you have to raise your voice to make it heard above the constant din of life in New York City. If you don't speak up and make your mark, you'll be swallowed up and lost in the vast massive noise of it all.

"The Iran Job" (Unrated, 91 minutes). An Iranian basketball team with designs on the playoffs hires African-American basketball player Kevin Sheppard to play for them. "The Iran Job" covers this territory, complete with real life game situations that mirror the best sports movie clichés, but it also takes more interest in viewing Iran through the eyes of two Iranian women Sheppard befriends. There is much to be found in both halves of this documentary, but I found myself on the fence when trying to reconcile them. I was pumped up for one, introspective for the other. Couple that with some sloppy work by the filmmakers, and I have to come down on the not recommended side of the fence. -- OH Two and a half stars.

by Richard Roeper
Has Tiny Fey ever played a character we weren't rooting for?
In smart features such as “Mean Girls,” “Baby Mama” and “Date Night,” on the just-completed NBC series “30 Rock,” on “Saturday Night Live” and in her book “Bossypants” or even co-hosting the Golden Globes, Fey's either likable or lovable. We're on her side, through all her pratfalls and fashion faux pas and quick, self-deprecating quips.

by Nell Minow
At least in some respects all children are Neanderthals. It is the grand challenge of parenthood to civilize these sometimes savage little creatures by teaching them language, manners and safety. Some of the most difficult choices parents must make come when we try to encourage children to be strong, brave, independent and adventuresome when it comes to accomplishing goals in school, sports and chores while protecting them from mistakes that could be hurtful or even devastating.

by Roger Ebert
Phil Spector remains an enigma after his 2009 conviction for the death of actress Lana Clarkson six years earlier. He's in prison today. Clarkson, dead of a gunshot wound, was found in his mansion. Was it suicide, an accident or murder?

by Richard Roeper
A candy-colored fever dream is the most unforgettable movie of the year so far.
Yes, I'm talking about "Spring Breakers," that movie where those former Disney stars spend every waking moment on the verge of bursting out of their bikinis and short-shorts as they gyrate their way through a week of drinking, snorting, sniffing, tonguing, robbing, laughing and sometimes crying in St. Petersburg, trying to create the all-time memorable experience before they have to return to their drab lives in Kentucky.

by Bill Zwecker
It's almost a given that the White House is the most secure place in the nation — possibly in the world. So when a North Korean terrorist plot can be executed with frightening precision — circumventing the seemingly impenetrable defenses surrounding the U.S. president and everyone around him — it boggles the mind.

"Ginger and Rosa" (P-13, 89 minutes). Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert) grow up in a London of brown weary shortages of food, living space and cheer. Who could have guessed Swinging London and the Beatles were on the way? Ginger becomes completely swept up in the Ban the Bomb movement's marches and in her youthful fatalism that becomes convinced the earth is on the brink of nuclear annihilation. With Alessandro Nivola as Ginger's dad, Hendricks as her mom, Annette Bening as a leftist friend, and Timothy Spall and Oliver Platt as a friendly avuncular couple. Written and directed by Sally Potter ("Yes," "Tango Lesson"). Three stars

"The Angel's Share" (Unrated, 101 minutes) "The Angel's Share" finds director Ken Loach doing as he's done for 45 years, filming mercurial human beings like a wildlife cinematographer, tracking their spontaneous behavior from afar, through an extreme telephoto lens mounted on a loose tripod head. He didn't invent the technique. It goes at least as far back as Akira Kurosawa's rain storm battle in Seven Samurai. And Loach doesn't even claim credit for originating the British flavor of that style: He says one of his earliest cinematographers, fellow improvisatory genius Chris Menges, copped it from the Czech cameraman Miroslav Ondricek ("If ..."). Yet there is no mistaking when Loach employs it, no matter the decade, the setting, the actors or who's manning the camera. -- SB Three and a half stars

(Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co said Muhtar Kent would step aside as chief executive in May, after nine years at the helm, and be replaced by company veteran James Quincey, a widely anticipated move that comes as it tries to reduce dependence on its mainstay sugary carbonated drinks. Kent, 64, will continue as chairman of Coca-Cola's board, the company said. Quincey, 51, joined Coke in 1996 and became chief operating officer in August 2015.

The "Trump rally" has been running since the Nov. 8 vote as investors bet President-elect Donald Trump's policies will boost economic growth and inflation. The S&P 500 is currently trading at about 17.5 times forward twelve-month earnings, above the 10-year median of nearly 15 times, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President-elect Donald Trump returns to this factory town on Friday for a victory celebration, he will find a region that is already experiencing the manufacturing renaissance he promised on the campaign trail. With local factories employing more workers than any time since the late 1990s, assembly line jobs are not hard to find. "We can barely make ends meet and we're stuck going nowhere," said auto parts worker Michael Baum, 22, as he smoked a cigarette in the parking lot of a Family Dollar discount store.

German semiconductor chipmaking machinery company Aixtron may sell off part of its business, its chief executive said in an interview published on Friday, opening the door for bidders after a deal with a Chinese company collapsed. China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund dropped its 670 million-euro ($712 million) bid for Aixtron earlier this week after the United States blocked the deal on security grounds, throwing the German company's future into doubt. "Or Aixtron could shrink, divest technologies and continue with a specialized offering," he said.

Russia plans to hold additional talks on Friday with some OPEC and non-OPEC nations to discuss unresolved issues related to a planned cut in oil output ahead of a wider meeting the following day in Vienna, a Russian government source told Reuters. Russia has committed to reduce its output by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017 in an effort to boost oil prices. Other non-OPEC countries are being urged to cut by a similar amount in total.

By Silvia Aloisi and Paola Arosio MILAN (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has rejected a request by Italy's Monte dei Paschi di Siena for more time to raise capital, a source said on Friday, a decision that piles pressure on the Rome government to bail out the lender. Italy's third-largest bank, and the world's oldest, had asked for a three-week extension until January 20 to try to wrap up a privately funded, 5-billion-euro ($5.3 billion) rescue plan in the face of fresh political uncertainty. The ECB's supervisory board turned down the request at a meeting on Friday on the grounds that a delay would be of little use and that it was time for Rome to step in, the source said.

The European Central Bank contemplated even bolder stimulus measures than it agreed at Thursday's meeting but scaled back in a compromise move when conservatives, joined by several swing voters, pushed back, two sources with direct knowledge said. Much of the ECB staff's preparation centered on a six month extension of its bond buying program at a steady pace of 80 billion euros per month but ECB President Mario Draghi recognized that the proposal did not have a majority so he pushed for a compromise deal, the sources told Reuters. The ECB then suggested a 12 month extension at 60 billion while more conservative nations were converging on six months at 60 billion.

Swiss prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings and seized evidence from the AMAG dealership network after an appellate court ruled Swiss investigators must conduct their own investigation of an emissions scandal at German carmaker Volkswagen AG , they said on Friday. The Swiss Office of the Attorney General "has meanwhile opened a criminal investigation and carried out measures to secure evidence from the AMAG Group.

SINGAPORE/TOKYO/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has told its U.S. and European customers it will reduce oil deliveries from January as Russia signaled that a commitment from non-OPEC producers to join OPEC's output limits still faced challenges. Saudi Arabia told the customers about lower supplies in line with the output reduction agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last week, according to a Gulf oil industry source familiar with Saudi oil policy. "We told our customers of the allocations and the compliance with allocations (for the cuts) for Saudi Arabia is 100 percent," the source said.

Google famously asked interview candidates brainteasers like 'How many golf balls fit into a school bus?' Here are some similar puzzles, and reasons why this method can help you find the right applicant.

More than 1,000 major enterprise networks and small and medium businesses in the U.S. have been compromised by a recently discovered malware package called &quot;Backoff&quot; and are probably unaware of it, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a cybersecurity alert on Friday.

Negotiation teams for the Pasco School District and its teachers union ended talks Monday without reaching a contract agreement. Schools will be empty on the first day of schools as teachers picket outside on Sept. 1.

By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal, setting the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be expelled from office in disgrace. The impeachment motion was carried by a wider-than-expect 234-56 margin in a secret ballot in parliament, meaning more than 60 of Park's own conservative Saenuri Party members backed removing her. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold the impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days.

Murali Vijay hit an unbeaten 70 as India made a strong reply to England's first-innings 400 on the second day of the fourth Test in Mumbai on Friday. England, trailing 2-0 in the five-match series, made an early breakthrough at the Wankhede Stadium, with off-spinner Moeen Ali taking the wicket of opener Lokesh Rahul to leave the home side on 39-1 . The visitors had Jos Buttler (76) to thank for reaching a competitive total and the powerful batsman said England, who need to win to stay alive in the series, are in a strong position despite India's impressive batting.

(Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co said Muhtar Kent would step aside as chief executive in May, after nine years at the helm, and be replaced by company veteran James Quincey, a widely anticipated move that comes as it tries to reduce dependence on its mainstay sugary carbonated drinks. Kent, 64, will continue as chairman of Coca-Cola's board, the company said. Quincey, 51, joined Coke in 1996 and became chief operating officer in August 2015.

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian army has released drone footage showing the widespread destruction in Old Aleppo, which it took control of from rebels this week. Bombed-out buildings and destroyed roads, the result of ground fighting and air strikes, could be seen in the footage released on Thursday as the army pressed ahead with an offensive to retake all of Aleppo, once Syria's most populous city. Reuters journalists heard the sound of nine air raids in about half an hour in Old Aleppo, in the center of the city, on Friday. ...

Masters champion Danny Willett rediscovered his magic touch as he shot four-under-par 66 to lie hot on the trail of Rafa Cabrera Bello at the Hong Kong Open on Friday. As injury-hampered defending champion Justin Rose and Ian Poulter -- left fuming after a late quadruple bogey -- flirted with the cut, Willett finally located the form that has eluded him for months. "It's nice to be in this position after the last few months," said Willett, who skipped the BMW Masters and last month's World Cup to rest a bad back.

(Reuters) - Rafa Cabrera-Bello shot a five-under 65 to extend his lead to three strokes after the second round of the Hong Kong Open at Fanling on Friday, as U.S. Masters champion Danny Willett moved into contention for the weekend. Spaniard Cabrera-Bello, one shot ahead overnight, rolled in six birdies with a solitary bogey to lead Australian Sam Brazel, who was in outright second place after shooting a second successive 66 in the European Tour co-sanctioned event. "Nice to shoot some numbers again," Willett tweeted.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello shot a five-under 65 to extend his lead to three strokes after the second round of the Hong Kong Open at Fanling on Friday, as U.S. Masters champion Danny Willett moved into contention for the weekend. Spaniard Cabrera-Bello, one shot ahead overnight, rolled in six birdies with a solitary bogey to lead Australian Sam Brazel, who was in outright second place after shooting a second successive 66 in the European Tour co-sanctioned event. "Nice to shoot some numbers again," Willett tweeted.

The San Antonio Spurs suffered their first road loss of the season, as the Chicago Bulls led wire-to-wire en route to a 95-91 victory that snapped a three-game skid. The Spurs needed just one more road win to tie the NBA record of 14 straight road victories to start a season, set by the Golden State Warriors last season. The guys get a lot of money to get ready to play," said Popovich of the Spurs.

The Kansas City Chiefs won the battle for supremacy in the AFC West with a 21-13 victory over the first-place Oakland Raiders. "This is a big, big rivalry and we knew it was going to come down to the end like this," said Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. In chilly conditions that featured temperatures around minus-10 Celsius (12 degrees Fahrenheit) with the wind chill, the Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce posted his fourth consecutive game with 100-plus yards receiving.

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry tallied 25 points and 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-110 in Andrew Wiggins' homecoming game. Wiggins scored 11 of his 25 points in the first quarter but the Timberwolves were no match for the offensive firepower of the Raptors at home.

World number one Lydia Ko was urged to look to the Kiwi guru who set her on the road to golf stardom on Friday after she split with high-profile coach David Leadbetter. New Zealand's World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Bob Charles said the 19-year-old prodigy needed to stop looking "outside her environment" and seek advice from her former coach, Guy Wilson. "Please, please don't go out looking for another David Leadbetter or whatever, just go back to Guy," Charles told Fairfax Media.

(The Sports Xchange) - The Kansas City Chiefs took control of the AFC West with a 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday in chilly weather conditions, The result left the teams with identical 10-3 records, however, Kansas City has the tiebreak edge with two victories over Oakland this season. The Chiefs suffered a big loss when inside linebacker Derrick Johnson went down with five minutes to play in the first half and needed help getting off the field. The 34-year old first-round choice by Kansas City in the 2005 draft, missed 15 games in the 2014 season with a torn right Achilles.

(Reuters) - The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a free agent deal to sign former Chicago Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler, Major League Baseball reported on its website. Terms of the deal have not yet been reported, but the Cardinals have called a press conference for Friday morning. The 30-year-old Fowler will undergo a physical on Friday to complete the move to Chicago’s National League Central rival.

The Dallas Cowboys aim to avenge their lone defeat of the season and clinch the NFC East title on Sunday when they clash with a New York Giants team whose pursuit of an NFL playoff spot has been slowed by a suddenly sputtering offense. The 11-1 Cowboys, led by the dynamic rookie duo of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, have already become the first team to secure a post-season berth. Prescott says he's learned a lot since the Cowboys' 20-19 loss to the Giants in week one, and he's eager to turn the tables.

Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker got off to a rousing start at the Franklin Templeton Shootout, firing an opening round 16-under 56 for a one-stroke lead in Naples, Florida. The former winners of the event have a slight lead over fellow Americans Harris English and Matt Kuchar at the Tiburon Golf Club course. Kelly and Stricker combined to shoot one eagle, 14 birdies and three pars in the first round scramble format as they finished just one stroke shy of matching the event's 18 hole scoring record which has been set four times.

New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz spoke out Thursday after racist graffiti was scrawled at the home of teammate Nikita Whitlock during a break-in. Whitlock's home in Moonachie, New Jersey, was broken into on Tuesday night by robbers who wrote "Go back to Africa" on the walls, along with a swastika and "KKK'. The defacement also included "Trump" -- and Cruz said it showed that some who support US President-elect Donald Trump "are not necessarily the most positive people in our community".

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and forward Matt Barnes are being sued by two people who claim the NBA players assaulted them at a New York night club early Monday morning. No criminal charges have been filed against either Cousins or Barnes, who according to the Sacramento Bee have both hired attorney Alex Spiro to represent them. Spiro has represented numerous athletes in high-profile cases, including Atlanta Hawks player Thabo Sefolosha, who was found not guilty of several charges in an incident at a club in New York in which his leg was broken.

Cheyenne Woods, the niece of superstar golfer Tiger, was one shot off the lead held by England's Florentyna Parker after the first round of the tragedy-hit Dubai Ladies Masters on Thursday. Play had been suspended early Wednesday in the season-ending championship of the Ladies European Tour following the death of caddie Max Zechmann on the course. The 27-year-old, who is fourth in the money list and enjoying a superb year without winning a tournament, made a bogey on the eighth and then closed with a double bogey on the ninth.

By David Ingram NEW YORK (Reuters) - An National Football League player's northern New Jersey home was vandalized with a swastika and other racist taunts scrawled on the inside walls during a break-in this week, according to police and photos that the player posted online. The break-in happened on Tuesday night while Nikita Whitlock, a fullback with the New York Giants, and his family were not at home, police in the borough of Moonachie said. Photos that Whitlock posted on Instagram showed a broken window, a swastika and a racial epithet for black Americans.

Golf's governing bodies have introduced a new local rule to eliminate the penalty when a ball is accidentally moved on the green, the scenario that overshadowed Dustin Johnson's maiden major victory at this year's U.S. Open. Johnson played the closing holes of his final round at Oakmont not knowing whether he would be given a stroke penalty after the ball moved fractionally on the marble-slick fifth green when he grounded his putter next to it. Although he was later docked a shot, it made no difference to the outcome of the tournament, sparing the United States Golf Association (USGA) the embarrassment of denying him the title on a technicality.

LeBron James let his game do the talking as his NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers humbled the New York Knicks 126-94 at Madison Square Garden. While the Cavs were dismantling the Knicks, Western Conference powerhouse Golden State were producing another dominant win of their own, routing the Clippers 115-98 in Los Angeles.

The Asian Tour's strategic tie-up with the European Tour is a "great option" which will create more tournaments and opportunities for regional golfers, the body's new CEO told AFP. Josh Burack said the "strategic alliance", adopted after Asian players baulked at a proposed merger with the bigger tour, wasn't a second-best move for Asia. The agreement was struck in July after Burack's predecessor Mike Kerr, who had backed a full merger of playing memberships and business interests, stepped down last December amid deep divisions over the move.

(Reuters) - The New York Yankees have reached an agreement for the return of hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman, Major League Baseball reported on its website on Wednesday. Five months after trading the left-handed closer to the Chicago Cubs, the Yankees will bring him back with a five-year, $68 million free agent deal, the most lucrative for a reliever in baseball history. The 28-year-old is coming off a roller coaster World Series triumph in which he blew a save chance in the deciding Game Seven but ultimately got the win as the Cubs rallied to overcome Cleveland.

It wasn't always pretty, but Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season to help the Milwaukee Bucks to a 115-107 NBA victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jabari Parker led the Bucks with 27 points, 10 of them in the third quarter as Milwaukee erased a seven-point halftime deficit. After connecting on just three of 11 from three-point range in the first half, Milwaukee hit six from beyond the arc in the third.

* Leadbetter says decision came from Ko * Ko out of winner's circle since July * Slump could be attributed to burnout (Adds fresh quotes, details) Dec 7 (Reuters) - World number one Lydia Ko, who clinched the most recent of her 14 LPGA titles in July before enduring the first barren spell of her young but already stellar career, has split from her coach David Leadbetter after three years working together. Ko and Leadbetter joined forces shortly after she turned professional in late 2013, with the then 16-year-old leaving her New Zealand-based coach Guy Wilson after 11 years in tandem. Leadbetter, who announced the split on his website, later told New Zealand media the decision had been a "surprise" but it had come from Ko and he felt her family had been a major factor in the thinking.

China's highest court has ruled in favor of former basketball star Michael Jordan in a long-running trademark case relating to a local sportswear firm using the Chinese version of his name, overturning earlier rulings against the athlete. The ruling is a rare bit of good news for a foreign brand in China, where companies, including iPhone maker Apple Inc and shoe brand New Balance, have often come out on the losing side in trademark disputes. The former Chicago Bulls player sued Qiaodan Sports in 2012, saying the company located in southern Fujian province had built its business around his Chinese name and famous jersey number "23" without his permission.

Dwight Howard scored 23 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end their seven-game NBA losing streak with a 103-95 victory over the Miami Heat. "It was good to get the monkey off our backs, but we've got to keep working," said Howard, who connected on nine of 11 shots from the floor and made five of six from the free-throw line. Defensively, Howard helped limit Miami's Hassan Whiteside to just eight points -- 10 fewer than his season average.

The reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs acquired right-handed closing pitcher Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Jorge Soler, the Cubs announced on Wednesday. Davis is expected to fill the void as the closer for the Cubs, who look likely to lose left hander Aroldis Chapman to free agency. Chapman had served as Chicago's closer since a July trade.